Re: COMMON: What to do? -- MIDRANGE-L

Excuse me Don;  I'm having a really, really tough time dealing with your
logic here...

First off, I fail to see why this conversation belongs on this list, even
if you did get a private blessing from David -- it sure doesn't seem like a
"Midrange Systems Technical Discussion" to me.

Secondly, you've some how leapt from your moaning and groaning about the
fact that you will now personally be charged $100 to help cover the costs
of the expo space and session rooms even though you've always been able to
find the cheapest and best hotel deals outside of COMMON's housing,  to an
assertion that COMMON is in deep, deep financial trouble and needs to
undergo a detailed health check up here on the midrange list.  Could you
please explain how you got from point A to point B?  I don't see the
bridge...

Third, you're complaining that you're not a part of COMMON's decision
process, and that COMMON hasn't implemented a strategy document you
presented to the board back in 2000, yet you haven't ever run to be a part
of the board. I guess you'd rather be a back street driver.  I've invited
you, and anyone else here who is interested, to a place where you can share
all your ideas with the people who ARE running for the board, but you've
decided you'd rather stay here and complain with others who aren't in a
position to implement any of them.  I KNOW there a lot of people with good
ideas here on this list; this is the first place I would run if I had a
technical question about OS/400!  But I don't know that any of the other
board candidates are here to listen to the discussion. Btw, some of your
ideas have been implemented -- we are working to increase both the vendor
content and the industry content at our conferences.  In Indy, several
vendors ran pilot projects doing private education for their customers
outside COMMON's core curriculum.  There will be more of these happening in
Orlando.  Perhaps you've been too busy yelling to notice?

Fourth, you seem to have a of other good ideas for revamping COMMON's
curriculum.  Here again, have you taken the time to share them with people
on COMMON's Education Team? Or would you rather just complain to people who
can't do anything with your suggestions?  (I'm on the board, but I'm not on
CET...)  Have you ever volunteered to work with the COMMON Education Team?

Fifth, you insist that COMMON needs to cut back to one conference a year
until the economy improves.  I guess I'm confused about why you couldn't
personally cut back to one conference a year, without forcing everyone else
to do the same.  I've seen no financial analysis that says we'd do better
with one conference rather than two-- in fact, I've talked to a number of
IT shops who would simply increase the cycle for when each person on staff
gets to go to COMMON if there were only one a year.  Surely, you're
experienced enough with systems analysis to know that throwing out a
solution without first pinpointing what problem you are attempting to solve
is never a good path to success!  So *exactly* what problem do you think
switching to a one conference per year model will solve?  I'm a bit
concerned that the main benefit you see from COMMON cutting back would be
an increase in attendance at the various localized mini-conferences put on
by LUGs like yours during the rest of the year. Perhaps you should stop and
think about whether you have a conflict of interest in this discussion!

Btw, I HAVE talked to people who feel the value-proposition offered by
attending a COMMON conference is MUCH higher in these troubled times than
it was when the economy was good.  If you end up being one of the
unfortunate victims of a lay-off, that network of contacts and the
up-to-date skills obtained from COMMON are invaluable!  And if you're part
of an IT department struggling to make do with a frozen staff and no
investment dollars, it seems like a no-brainer to demonstrate the value of
attending a COMMON conference that will let you get maximum use out of the
systems and products you've already got -- I've talked to many COMMON
attendees who felt the trip was more than justified because it helped them
find a way to turn that screw one more time without breaking...

So...  Tell us again why you keep yelling that the COMMON Board and the
COMMON staff have somehow failed, and why the yelling has to be done here
on the midrange list...

Janet Krueger
COMMON Treasurer

P.S. One thing that excites me about Orlando is the behind the scenes tours
of Universal Studios, with IT people who can explain the technology behind
some of the rides, as well as explain how they use their iSeries systems...
That will be KEWL!!!  And did you hear the closing session will be held at
Universal Studios?  It will be FUN;  people who find a way to come will be
talking about it for years!




Janet,

regarding your reply, snipette below, this is THE CORRECT forum for this
kind of discussion.  David has verified that this morning.

The items we're discussing here and now and the reasons we're having to
discuss them here and now, means that something has failed with the
executive directorship of COMMON both in Chicago and in the CBOD.

I'm not sure we have the time to wait for you and COMMON.

I think you folks are in DIRE NEED of ideas.  I think COMMON is in DIRE
NEED of some actions to help it survive in this downturned market.  I
think you've got some decent minds on this listserver.  I think you've
been given some good ideas in the past that you're now seeing the effects
of not acting on.

It's frankly up to you folks if we actually have a COMMON in our common
futures...I would think you'd be much more open to input than attempting
to manage the ideas on a yet to be rolled out forum.  Do you really think
we have the time for yet another reinvention of the wheel when this one
seems to work just fine?   It's alive here and now, use it until you find
something better.

Folks, the floor is again open for progressive and futuristic discussion
and ideas on what can and should be done to keep COMMON in our common
futures...  We need good ideas and ways to get from here to there.  Leave
your politics at the the plug, unplugged.  We don't have time for it.

Let's hear some ideas....

Don in DC

---------


On Wed, 21 May 2003, Janet Krueger wrote:

> >> Clearly COMMON needs to regroup.  What I would suggest immediately
is...
>
> As I stated earlier today, this is the WRONG list for this discussion.
> Within the next week or so, Fred will be opening a discussion forum for
> discussing issues, suggestions, and dreams with the people running for
> election to the COMMON Board of Directors in 2003.
>